


oh, next to you (you next to me)

by sodapoppie



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, They go to the beach, and have a late date there, and just kiss and talk about feelings, dunno if that makes sense with the story line because i don't remember but yea, post-australian rinharu but, still between the time they were students
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:02:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26413096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sodapoppie/pseuds/sodapoppie
Summary: Patience is a virtue, they say, but Rin isn't very good at it. Not when patience means waiting for Haru when his feelings grow warmer and heavier inside his chest. So, he steps closer.
Relationships: Matsuoka Rin/Nanase Haruka
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31





	oh, next to you (you next to me)

To Haruka’s point of view, Matsuoka Rin was, and always has been, the most breathtaking, unbearable attractive human being he had ever met. It didn’t mean Rin was the most beautiful, most handsome boy ever, which he was, if you ask him, but he surely means it when he says that Rin has de most attractive soul from the whole, entire face of earth — the way he smiled, it didn’t matter if it was a won or a lost match; how much he strove to do his best and succeed, not only in swimming but in every single matter of his life; the shine on his gaze whenever a stray cat or dog approached them and his childish voice whenever he pleaded Haru to keep every single one of those animals… everything made Haru’s heart skip a beat. 

Nanase Haruka, at this point of the history, was head over heels for him. 

It has always been like that, even before Rin’s business tore them apart, even after it. For loads and loads of years, Haru has found fondness only in the state of water — to be alone and drowning in it, as well that in his thoughts; to be swimming and still, drowning and drowning again. Until he met Rin. Rin was chaotic, and it made it _real_. Rin was funny and lovely and it made him tangible, tactile, Haru wanting to touch the soft skin with his fingertips. 

However, it was Rin who touched him first, both his heart and his pale skin, years and years after the first time they met. Rin’s hands were steady and warm and secure against his skin, as he knew damn well where to touch, as he was plenty aware of how much Haru enjoyed his cheeks to be touched and his eyelashes to be kissed and the skin of his belly to be bitten. Rin knew all his soft spots, and, if he didn’t know one of them, he was more than willing to study —and putting the study into practice— Haru’s body long enough to discover them, and learn everything about them, and make Haru physically unable to stop smiling. 

All of this happened that night in Australia and back in Japan it didn’t happen again. No because they didn’t want to —Rin had not even blinked while saying it, how much he had waited for this to happen and how much he wished for it to happen a countless times more—, but because it was difficult, as they barely spent time together because of the swimming clubs activities. 

It was so, at least until Rin stepped in the Iwatobi swimming club one day. Makoto greeted him with a hug and Nagisa and Gō with a kiss on the cheek each one. Rei, for his part, welcomed him with a polite shake of hands, even when they weren’t just aquitinances, by that time, because Rin even considered them friends, but Rei just wanted to keep it mannerly, as he himself said, between them; something Rin didn’t understand. Haru, meanwhile, was swimming as per usual, and Rin decided to wait for him on the finish line, arms crossed over his chest and a big grin on his face.

When Haru arrived, when he saw Rin waiting in front of him, he couldn’t help but drop his mouth open in the shape of an ‘o’. Rin laughed, satisfied with himself for surprising Haru enough for him to make _that_ face. 

“What are you doing here?” Haru asked, still in the pool. 

“Coming and greeting you, since you don’t seem like to talk to me”

Haru frowned softly and left the swimming pool. Rin didn’t miss the flexed biceps when he did so, his smirk growing wide watching him stretchings his arms to leave the pool. Nagisa and Makoto laughed, because apparently he was so obvious, but Haru didn’t seem to hear them — Rin did, and also listened to Rei asking what was so hilarious, and then them explaining the whole thing to him. Rin didn’t mind their friends finding amusing how much desire he had for Haru, though, so he didn’t care. 

What Haru didn’t miss either was the look Rin was giving him once totally out of the pool, his body soaked with water and his muscles toned. He crossed his arms overs his chest this time, maybe because he was just getting upset because of Rin being that crystal clear in the presence of their friends, maybe because he enjoyed teasing Rin as much as the other did. 

“I see you’re happy to see me.” 

“Yeah, I am”, Rin admits, that big smile of him still hanging from his lips. “I would still be if you were all dressed and your body dryed, though. You have this very bad opinion of me, dude.”

Haru smiles softly, and leans in to grab a towel. Rin watches him as he does so, probably expecting something to happen — to even occur. When Haru looks at him in silence, inquisitively, with his brows arched, while drying his body. He still has to take a shower to clear the chlorine off of his body. So, if Rin wants to say something, or something to happen, which won’t occur either magically not by the grace of God, he thinks it’s just the right moment to open his mouth and speak whatever he intends to.

And even if Rin doesn’t want to say anything to him, he does, because both staring at each other in absolute silence is making the atmosphere most awkward that Rin is physically capable of taking. 

So, yeah. 

“Do you wanna hang out after you finish showering?” he asks, words and syllables stepping into each other because of the speed in which Rin is asking the question. He wasn’t someone to feel nervous while talking to another person or human being, for he wasn’t an introverted kind of guy. Screw it, he wasn’t someone to feel nervous while talking to Haru, who has been his friend since he has use of memory — but asking him out for a date? Somehow, unthinkably and surely surprisingly, yeah, it made him feel anxious. 

Haru fakes contemplating the idea of going out with him, succeeding at killing the whole cardiac system Rin was so proud of because of, _oh, to be young, oh, to be_. Rin had spent his left brain cells thinking about asking Haru to go out on a date, just to turn into a mumbling mess at the end and at the moment of truth. 

It seemed Haru finally decided to stop Rin’s suffering, because he said: “Yeah, sure, why not”, in the most apathetic tone he had ever used before. 

Rin rolled his eyes. 

“Well, allow me to say that you don’t sound very excited about it, man.”

“That’s my happy face.”

“So you’re happy to go out with me?”, Rin grinned, happy with how things turned into his side. He laughed when Haru rolled his eyes almost until the top of his head, visibly annoyed at Rin and his capacity to turn everything on his side — even things so obvious, like, how in hell would he not be happy to spend his free time with Rin? Even before everything that happened between them took place, when they were _just friends_ , Haru enjoyed doing so. If Rin thought it would be just different between them, he was just as an idiot as Haru originally thought. 

“I mean, why wouldn't I be? Maybe it’s you who has a very bad opinion of yourself, Rin, if you think spending time with you is _that awful,_ you know.” 

“I hate the way the only time you say more than two sentences and say them together is just to mess with me.” 

Haru shrugged. 

And then all the kind of conversation they were supposed to keep was gone, as Haru walked towards the changing rooms. Rin stayed there, watching him leave —such a pleasant view, he must say— in silence with himself. Haru was a conundrum and Rin was kind of tired of them, but he was not in the place to demand anything, because he fell for Haru because of his way to be, and he would never grow hatred toward that part of his personality… but sometimes he would just want it to be easier. 

So he waits in line, arms crossed over his chest all over again. 

“Rin-chan, Rin-chan, don’t make that sad face!”, Nagisa's squeaky voice broke Rin train of thought. 

Rin turned around just in time Nagisa came to give him a hug, and Rin just let him do so, not because he was sad or something, but because Nagisa’s hugs were really just something else, as they completely made Rin feel great. 

“It’s Haru’s way to let you know he’s glad to see you again, you know that”, Makoto said, teasing in his voice. Even if Rin doubted he was right, but just nodded with his head, his eyes closed: Makoto was the kind of person to say that everything was okay even during a purge, and with his calm, steady voice, you would believe him. Still on Nagisa’s small arms, he thought he liked it, though, when Haru playfully messed with him, and enjoyed the bright on his eyes when it happened, because Haru was, undoubtedly, having fun. It was okay, since he knew the feeling of experiencing pain, of experiencing Haru hurting him with his sharp words —Haru breaking his heart over and over again, into little, useless pieces—. He knew that feeling, and this innocent game between them was nothing like that. 

***

He waited for Haru in the changing room, took a seat in a bench to sit on and took his phone out of the back pockets of his black, ripped at the level of its thighs jeans —since he went searching for Haru after dropping by his house to take off his school uniform and change into something else— to just scroll on Twitter. The sound of the water running as Haru was taking a shower made him relax and Rin took a deep breath. Rin closed his eyes just one more time, just for a second, just to feel the water soaking him, the water running down and emerging in his mind, a warm feeling growing on his chest. The strong sensation of having Haru just across the room; the lively impression of drowning and drowning and drowning without losing your control over your body, with the capacity of being able to breathe. Being with Haru felt like that, too, and Rin had grown fond of the feeling. 

“What’s on your mind?”, Haru asked out of nowhere, Rin with his eyes still closed, so he opened them and saw Haru fully dressed in front of him, his hair and eyelashes wet, looking extremely breathtaking. 

Rin didn’t think before speaking —at this point it was his trademark, already— when he said: “You, most of the time."

Haru’s eyes widened softly. He knew Rin was not the kind of guy to hide his feelings, at least one he totally understood; he had made it clear in these heart-to-heart exchanges of words they share sometimes, and Haru loved him for that. Rin was crystal clear, not exactly at how he spoke his feelings but at the way he expressed them through his gestures, through his facial expressions. From Haru’s point of view, Rin was easy to read, and was the perfect antagonist of his story and the ideal protagonist of his own. However, when he himself was the object of his thoughts and his desire… It was a completely and foreign feeling for him to experiment, and billions of flowers grew inside his chest. 

Yet, he didn’t mention that unfamiliar feeling.

“You seemed sad.”

Haru grabbed his things and offered his hand to Rin, if he wanted to take it. Rin looked at that tan hand, because at that time of the year they always trained outside, and the sun had no mercy on Haru and his soft, pale skin; then looked at his face, and the two pairs of eyes met. Haru’s waiting for him. He said nothing, but was sure he assured Rin to feel safe with his comfortable silence and the offering of his hand; that’s the reason behind Rin stayed silent too, because he knew Haru’s way to comfort him or any of his beloved friends, and Rin found peace in it. He took his hand and intertwined his fingers carefully. 

“Where are we going?”, Haru questioned, curiosity bright on his eyes and painted on his arched eyebrows. 

Rin squeezed his hand softly.

“To the beach.”

***

They arrived rapidly and, with the intention of not getting Haru’s school uniform dirty, they searched for some rock to sit on. 

So, while sitting on the rock and viewing how the day started to fade away, to welcom the brief moments after the night sky, they enjoyed talking about nothing exactly and extrictly important: just Haru mumbling about his day and Rin laughing softly, continuing chatting about his own too.

“... and then, Mikoshiba did that shit again, what I told you last time…, I swear to god, that child, Haru, I love him but at what cost!” Rin boasted. Immediately after, he sighed, and Haru smiled lovely, playing softly with Rin’s hair, which was, every time they saw each other, a little bit longer. 

“I’m sorry, I’m unable to remember every single stupid thing Mikoshiba did. Can you remind me?” 

“He got fucking naked”, Rin answered, dead serious, but laughed at Haru’s reaction, who possibly was expecting something enterely different, “and the, he keep swimming as if nothing happened. I swear I could see Sousuke’s nonexistent brain losing all his nonexistent brain cells.”

Haru couldn’t say if Rin was talking shit about Sousuke Yamazaki or Mikoshiba Momotarō, so he ignored that part. He patted Rin’s back this time. 

“Being a captain must be exhausting, I’m glad Makoto is responsible enough and a guy you can put your trust in”, Haru said, sighing in joy. He looked at Rin when he poked his cheek. “Huh?”

“We can switch— please.”

Haru smiled.

“Nope.”

Rin looked at him with his eyes wide open and a bit of betrayal shining on them. Haru thought about how pretty Rin’s eyes were, bright even in places and hours like this one, where and when they shouldn’t brighten that much. Haru thought about the way they looked at him. 

“You’re so mean with me, Haru.”

“You sound like Nagisa. ”

Haru arched his eyebrows, amused. Rin knew it wasn’t that serious, coming from Haru, and that they were just playfully messing with each other, Haru obviously outshining Rin’s tactics to play with him. Still, he continued acting betrayed and hurt by Haru’s words. 

“I mean, maybe Nagisa would treat me better. Maybe I should fall in love with him instead of you, you know.”

Haru looked at him in silence, and Rin felt his gaze on him, on his nape, then his cheeks, then his eyelashes, so he finally turned around and looked back at Haru — his intense gaze seeing through him. Something grew heavier and Rin found difficulties to breathe.

“I didn’t see Nagisa as your type”, Haru said. And Rin literally thought about the fucking audacity of that man, but said nothing and laughed, genuinely, because if Haru wasn’t able to tell that the boy in wich Matsuoka Rin was head over heels with, he definitely needed glases. 

Rin put both his hands on the pockets of his jacket, as if Haru was completely clueless about his big fat crush —I mean, they already kissed!— wasn’t as big of a deal. 

“I don’t have a type, so.”

Haru stayed silent for two, three seconds, and when he spoke again it managed to freeze Rin, “I thought it was me.”

Even without the need of looking Haru’s way, Rin knew Haru was dead serious —well, he always was, but this time it was just in a totally different way— and felt the air around them heavier and heavier. He sighed, rolled all his body in Haru’s direction to stare at him, both of them still laying in these rocks. Haru’s gaze was as intense as before; Rin found himself craving more, so he drew closer and closer, feeling Haru’s breath meeting his own. 

“You’re not wrong. At all,” Rin whispered softly, Haru almost catching the words between his lips. Rin’s eyes left little to the imagination and an enormous desire of grabbing these lips between his own lips grew warmer than expected on Haru’s chest.

So, he did. 

Rin gasped when Haru moved closer, not expecting a move that fast and early: it was shocking at first, but Rin was not an idiot enough to complain, so he welcomed the kiss, short and caste. Haru’s hand was gentle and warm in Rin’s cheeks. Rin’s smile could light the entire world. 

“So…”, Rin started, but Haru was fast giving him a peck again, causing only a bunch of giggles coming out of Rin. His laugh could light the whole world, too; Haru thought about a worldwide blackout and Rin’s laugh being the only thing on ear capable of light the world again. 

“I don’t wanna talk”, Haru replied, and smiled at Rin when he rolled his eyes, as if saying ‘what a fucking surprise, dude’, and continued: “I just want to look at you.”

“You can look at me while we talk. Or are you a baby?”, Rin sounded amused and to Haru’s hearing it was the closest to taste honey directly from Rin’s mouth.

Rin kissed, then, the top of Haru’s nose and he nodded, pleased with the affection he was receiving. He took his muscular body off Rin and collapsed at his side, a soft moan left his mouth as his back collided with the hard rock. Rin caressed him with a light laugh coming off his lips. 

“I want to do better this time, Haru”, he announced. Haru agreed, silently “. I want you to hear how I feel about you, about us, because there is so much more than just love at this point, and I wish I could express it in an easiest way.”

Haru stayed quiet, reassuring Rin to speak comfortably with him, drawing soft lines in Rin’s hands, which were between his. 

“What I’m trying to say is that — I’m better when I’m with you, Haru, and I know I’m not a bad person for starters, but it’s the way that being with you simply makes me the happiest boy in the whole damn world and I want to feel that way for the longest time possible, because it’s warm and lovely and both of us are so, so clumsy it’s just so funny and, and what I mean is that I feel just so happy when I’m with you, although I think I already said that— well, you’re a friend before anything and an excellent ribal and I so look up to you. It’s not the best confession of love and I’m totally aware of that, but I’ve been a mess without seeing you and knowing nothing about you these months and I was confused as hell and didn’t want to make a move that could meant los—”

“Me too”, Haru interrupted, knowing that Rin was too absorbed into his own monologue of expressing his love, Haru was genuinely surprised when Rin’s eyes snapped wide at his words. 

“You too what? That you’re also aware that mine is the worst confession of love that had never ever existed?”, Rin blinked twice, not succeeding at reading Haru this time. 

“No, ‘me too’ as I love you too, Rin.”

Rin blinked twice, again. Haru rolled his eyes to the back of his head, and listened as Rin said, “Excuse me?” 

Haru sighed soundly, “What I’m trying to say is that I love you too, Rin. I don’t think you need me to elaborate on that”, Haru kissed Rin’s hands, still between his own. Rin put into words all the things Haru felt for him, but Haru didn’t have enough confidence in himself to express his own feelings with his own words. 

It took a long minute to process the information, but Rin finally approached Haru to give him a proper kiss. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> so this was prompt i had on twt and a friend of mine requested!  there  you have the link of the post. however if you wanna follow me on my writing account feel free to do so! @hovvlings.


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